"The dogs were unattended, for the most part, 23 out of 24 hours per day," Quincy Police Lt. Jack Sullivan said.

David Aristide, 61, faces arraignment in Quincy District Court on at least one animal cruelty charge following his arrest Tuesday. Sullivan said Aristide kept the dogs – all of them described as a cross-breed of a poodle and a Doberman – in the basement of a vacant duplex at 23-25 Kidder St. for at least the past two years.

Sullivan said he believes Aristide was breeding the dogs and visited the Quincy home once per day to walk and feed them.

Police rescued seven dogs from the basement Tuesday morning while the city's building inspector boarded up the building and cut off its utilities.

Sullivan said Aristide didn't live at the home, and his address was unknown as of Tuesday night.

At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, five more dogs were removed from Aristide's car after he came to the police station for questioning and was arrested.

Sullivan said all 12 dogs appeared to be in good condition physically, but a veterinarian from the Animal Rescue League of Boston was expected to examine them further.

Sullivan said neighbors have been complaining about barking dogs at the blighted Kidder Street building for the past two years.

According to city assessor records, the property has been owned by the heirs of Catherine McDonald since 1976. "Nobody knows who owns the property," Sullivan said.

Jim Anderson, the city's chief building inspector, said crews did not find anyone living at the house when they went to shut off the utilities. He said a court order in place since at least the 1990s has prohibited anyone from living in the side of the decaying duplex where Aristide's dogs were found.

The duplex is located by Garfield and Quarry streets.

"As far as we can tell, it's being used as a storage facility," Anderson said.The health and fire departments also went to the home Tuesday and found it crowded with furniture, tools and garbage.

Sullivan said he presided over a hearing last week in which eight neighbors complained about dogs barking at 25 Kidder St. He said officers went to the home Sunday in response to another complaint and observed – through a window – about 12 dogs in the basement.

After getting a search warrant Tuesday, Quincy's animal control officers went in to get the dogs. Sullivan said the basement reeked of urine and had exposed electrical wires, feces on the ground and fly traps with hundreds of dead bugs on them.

Sullivan said Aristide will also be charged with larceny because he was illegally running city water to the Kidder Street building without paying for it.

In 2011, police ordered Aristide to remove dogs from a North Quincy home he was staying in after neighbors complained of excessive barking, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said Aristide was uncooperative with police, screaming and refusing to answer questions. Police planned to hold him overnight without bail.